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Wednesday, 09 November 2011

Our Collective Shame

By Joseph M. Ndifor

History is replete with events that have defined a people. The American Civil War, for example-an event that almost tore the nation permanently into two halves-witnessed the indefatigable efforts by Abraham Lincoln who pulled the Union back together. Ironically, in another civil war almost a century later, the United States attempt- beginning in 1962-to prop up the South Vietnamese government against its neighbor, was defiantly repelled by the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese, culminating in the fall of Saigon in 1975.

Do events also define who Cameroonians are? I worry that the best answer to that question may be found in the just-ended charade called “presidential election”. Like other presidential elections before this, and in light of Cameroonians’ apathy about them, elections are supposed to be lenses through which the world sees us: where are we headed, our tolerance, cultural values, emerging political trends, etc. But having sold our souls to the devils, do all these considerations matter anymore?

On a recent cold October afternoon, I ran into three African military officers-from Tanzania, Senegal and Botswana, three far-flung corners of the continent- dispatched overseas by their home governments to receive advanced training. In a bantering mood, I told them I was in search of “a few good men”.

“What for?” the Tanzanian quipped.

“To overthrow an illegitimate government”, I retorted.

After a few jokes and the revelation that I was from Cameroon, they all burst out in laughter.

Ah! “Your country recently held a presidential election. How did it go this time?” the officer from Botswana, with a smirk on his face, asked.

Even before I could answer, these men, all from African countries that have experienced smooth transitions of one government after another since their respective independence, jointly said that Cameroonians have lost their “dignity” as a people and should consider the consequences.

After I exchanged a few more uncomplimentary comments about Cameroon’s leadership crisis with these officers, and feeling even more crestfallen, I left the scene in a huff. You might get a chuckle out of this story, and perhaps I am reading too much into a casual conversation, but I cannot help thinking that therein lays our window to the world.

Amid this decay and dismay, however, what also bewilders me is the fact that largesse, especially from unscrupulous government officials, is now synonymous with leadership. Even before his arrest for alleged graft, former GM of the Shipyard and Industrial Engineering Corporation, Zaachaeus Forjindjam, had, without a single voice raised in opposition, single-handedly carved out a fiefdom for himself and minions, called Meforbe, within the village of Baforchu.

For the moment, though, I’m more concerned with those Cameroonians who ought to know better but who seem to have resigned themselves to this dictatorial style of the regime. And I worry that the blame game on who precisely should bring about changes -as if there are some Cameroonians designated as agents of change! - has taken a twist for the worst. Some Cameroonians in the Diaspora-accustomed to using this forum to throw invectives, anonymously, on opposition leaders like Fru Ndi back home for this sour state of affairs-have failed to realize that it’s our collective responsibility, however small, to push for the changes that we so much yearn for the homeland.

Splendid opinion. I think Cameroonians of Anglo-saxon heritage are the only Cameroonians left with any sense of dignity in this facade. They will either change Cameroon for all or go their way. That's when the nightmare will unfold.
The mother of all civil wars.Former Yugoslavia will look like a joke.Francophone Africa is a joke from north to south whereas Anglophone Africa is leaping forward. What a shame!

Joe,
Your chagrin is as heavy as mine. I just read a piece from a budding Cameroonian, Patrick Vega. Though not providing a concrete solution to the way out of our national conundrum, the young man pours the same amount of opprobrium on the collective psyche of Cameroonians at home and in the diaspora: https://mail.google.com/mail/?
shva=1#inbox/1338c846c1389e23

- Economics: in my opinion an underdeveloped economy is in itself a very fertile ground for a dictatorship. The absence of a vibrant private sector means governments rely less on taxes for funding. Such goverments are less accountable to the public, and less susceptible to fiscal blackmail.
- Africa`s history: by weaving together divergent groups leads to problems of cohesion. Also a shared history of domination from Northern countries (often referred to as "the West") means dictators can find a rallying cause, hence the advent of the "African strong man" in the immediate post-colonial era. Cohesion is used as a convenient excuse to cling to power as a guarantor of stability.
- Diplomatic largesse: Ghadaffi may not have been the darling of Western and African citizens in his latter years but cemented his place in the hearts of black South Africans thanks to his support of the ANC in the apartheid years. In the same vein, leaders such as Obiang Nguema build their goodwill through sponsorship of panafricanist projects, such as contibution to the TV network, Africa 24.
- Western double standards: by openly encouraging opposition to certain authoritarian regimes while tacitly encouraging similarly oppressive governments, has led to a feeling of mistrust among certain members of the populace.
- An uneducated, unsophisticated, tribalistic and malleable electorate: such an electorate is easily manipulated for short term gains.

A democracy is not a permanent condition, and is only as good as the economy it supports. Democracy can only be guaranteed when accompanied by economic prosperity, otherwise the masses become intolerant. Consequently, any calls for democratic rulership must also advance solutions to pressing economic problems, otherwise the masses become impatient and start longing for the good old days of yore.

All modern notions of economics, philosophy, law, civics - you name it - cannot thrive under a climate of divide-and-rule as a means of governance. Once upon a time, even with very modest education, West Cameroon operated a fantastic civil service that delivered the goods even though prevaricators of today will gladly pour opprobrium on it. I speak as someone who lived it.

With more educated people in the nation todayCameroonians are enjoying their country less and less simply because of the evils of mismanagement - a natural outcome of people being recruited into positions of responsibility based on whom they know rather than what they know, a policy which makes nonsense of educational pursuits. The current case of the fiscal dessicator from Zoetele being haunted for misappropriation of Brobdignaggian amounts is very telling and goes to underscore why Oppoition leader John Fru Ndi was stopped at the entrance of Zoetele and told not to venture into Biya's fief!

So in place of the parameters that matter in measuring growth and progress, what have Cameroonians got? For want of a better word, I can only think of "tokenisms" to describe what Cameroonians have come to accept in return for cultivating centralized despotic rule with all its ramifications.The presidency of the country has become an instrument of patronage to dish out these tokenisms to a people ever so ready to put aside the dignity of hard work and fall incomprehensibly for them. They come in many forms and can be seen from top to bottom of the national triangle. The most prominent is the post of prime minister which has alternated between the NW and SW of the country, sustaining divide-and-rule as well as narcotizing otherwise dissident voices. (Une bouche qui est pleine ne parle pas - a full mouth does not speak). Whether the Achidi Achus, Mafany Musonges, Inoni Epraims, Philemon Yangs and others in this category can place their hands on their chests, look at their peoples and tell them that the appointment of one of theirs as prime minister has meant development of their cherished infrastructures - roads, bridges, airports, schools, remains to be seen.

Of course a vibrant private sector is where others find the answer to their development. But how can a private sector thrive with burdensome and unwieldy taxation (patente!) as well as monopolies awarded to persons as part of political patronage? When healthy competition is encouraged, production increases and the population enjoys variety and reduced prices. In Cameroon it is the perennial demonstration of skyrocking prices and its consequent aftermaths that the people know.The heavyweights avail themselves of their privileged positions and travel to the West to do their shopping where there is variety of goods and prices are relatively affordable. For the downtrodden, tomorrow is another day even as some zealots rush around to vote several times at recognized and concealed voting stations.

We have all been brainstoming on this forum about the best way to deal with Mr. Biya back home. Well let,s go into action and put our money to show we are serious. I have a suggestion.

Mr. Biya just bought a page on "LE MONDE" newspapaer in France for his personal propaganda. My suggestion is that we can collectively contribute and buy a page on that same newspaper and present our own view. I know it may be difficult with "LE MONDE" but we can use any other important newspaper.

I am asking those people who have used this forum to blame Fru Ndi for all that is wrong in Cameroon to help out with this effort. I am also asking Joe Ndifor and the moderator of this forum to help out in the organisation of contributions or better still suggest a better way to go along with this project.

I wellcome critisism but it should be backed with an alternative plan. Please lets do something.

I am just proposing an idea for all of us to brainstorm. I do not think that I personally have what it takes to spear head a project of this magnitude and that is why I freely throw my idea for the moderator to build on. Also I avoid my name because I truely want this discussion to be entirely based on the strength of the idea and not on the ego of the personality. If somebody decides to build on this idea, the only part I will play will be that of sending in my own contribution.
Keep brainstorming, We may be able to make a change.

Mr. Ndifor, a wonderful piece of work. We as a people need not piont fingers to one another or precisely to the present government. Over centuries, freedom of citizens have not come any easy. True citizens have and will always sacrifice their lives for the sake to have True Democracy and a prosperous future generation. The Arab Spring this year is a good example to look into. It takes a revolution to get a solution. Ancient European conflicts, American civil war and the Nigerian Biafra war all experienced revolutionary conflicts. We as Cameroonians must be ready to accept this difficult path to redemption. Paul Biya will not work away.

also, i adore your yarn, but i think you should give it to someone else that will help it find its way into a lovely handknit. i'd be so sad to see it languish here :( so, i'm respectfully withdrawing my name from the running.

This is a good article left me a deep impression, and there is a lot of discussion on this article, and are doing very well, so much valuable information. Which your article is great, really great work!